Alexander Muller, Assistant Director-General, Natural Resources Management, FAO, gave this presentation at the recent meeting of the World Water Council in Rome.
Download Muller_FAOand Water_2011_final
Even though I did not see Muller's talk (Ken Reid provided this PDF), I found the presentation to be reasonably lucid and easy to follow.
Here are his concluding remarks:
1) It seems that the era of cheap foods is over.
2) World food demand will increase by 70% in 2050.
3) Without a significant increase in productivity or a significant reduction in demand, water consumption may increase by 70% in 2050.
4) The world is thus exposed to a progressive and significant increase in water scarcity.
5) Therefore, food and water securities are two faces of the same coin.
6) Land and water productivities are required to be assessed conjunctively for correct optimization of natural resources use.
7) All solutions pass through agriculture and the demand management and trade of its products.
8) The paths to solutions require not only appropriate policies, institutional reforms, and adequate investments, but also filling the gap from knowledge to implementation.
It is interesting to note that the theme of next year's World Water Week in Stockholm (26-31 August 2012) is water and food security.
Here is an interview with Muller in Stockholm on 23 August 2011.
Looks like we have our work cut out for us.
"Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope."- Unknown
FOOD & WATER ... SUSTAINABILITY ... can only be attained when "we" (the People) are provided an authentic seat at any table where food and/or water is on the agenda ...
As it is multinational corporate interests dominate and control those "shadow" agencies they created to placate an unsuspecting public ...
Deception and high theater and well performed ...
Posted by: PAUL F MILLER | Monday, 21 November 2011 at 10:29 AM